Oakridge Game Changer Brine Questions

BuffettFan

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I just bought my first bag of the brine.
I tried it last night on some nice thick bone-in pork chops. Because of the length of time the chops were going to be in the brine, I mixed it according to the 1/2 strength directions on the package and brined for ~24 hours. Rinsed them, patted dry and then applied my seasonings, all per the package directions. I cooked them my usual way, seared in a CI skillet, then into the oven to 135 IT followed by a 10 minute rest.
Chops were very good, but I honestly couldn't tell any difference from my previous non-brined cooks.

So, my questions are:
Should I mix full strength for a 24 hour brine?
Should I brine longer, 36 or 48 hours?
Should I inject instead of brine?
Does chicken take the brine better than pork?

Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!
 
BuffettFan said:
I just bought my first bag of the brine.
I tried it last night on some nice thick bone-in pork chops. Because of the length of time the chops were going to be in the brine, I mixed it according to the 1/2 strength directions on the package and brined for ~24 hours. Rinsed them, patted dry and then applied my seasonings, all per the package directions. I cooked them my usual way, seared in a CI skillet, then into the oven to 135 IT followed by a 10 minute rest.
Chops were very good, but I honestly couldn't tell any difference from my previous non-brined cooks.

So, my questions are:
Should I mix full strength for a 24 hour brine?
Should I brine longer, 36 or 48 hours?
Should I inject instead of brine?
Does chicken take the brine better than pork?

Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Terry
I wasn't going to reply, but, then I saw your name as Terry. Since I'm a Terry as well, I had to reply just to show some love for the first name.


I love Oakridge rubs. My favorite stuff. What you are doing for your chops is something I haven't tried yet. I cook my chops almost identically to your process. I use the Pork Magic rub from Oakridge. They are so dang tasty that I haven't thought they needed anything more.


I hope somebody can toss in some wisdom here. For me, I just stopped at Oakridge Pork Magic rub and I've been eating great chops for a year.
 
Thanks Terry!
Believe it or not, but my wife is Teri, short for Theresa, and my mother's maiden name was Terry, where I got my name from.

The Oakridge products seem to get a lot of love on the forum, so thought I'd branch out and give them a try. Hard to beat the price and with Amazon Prime, free 2 day shipping.
I'll have to give the Pork Magic a try on my next order. Currently using Plowboy's Yardbird on my chicken and chops.
Thanks Again!
 
Thanks for the link, IamMadman.
Planning on a whole chicken on the rotisserie Sunday. Think I'll stick with the 1/2 strength, mixed with apple juice since I have some on hand, ~12 hour brine overnight tomorrow, then dried off and back in the fridge Sunday morning to dry the skin before it hits the coals.
Because of her gout, Mom can't eat beef, pork or shellfish, so she and my wife opted for chicken.
Dad and I are getting rib eyes.
I cooked a couple of whole birds a couple weeks ago and took them one. They said it was the best chicken they'd ever had.
Hopefully, this one will be even better!
 
I use the brine on and off again and I'm torn on the proper way to prepare it. Since there is an ice cool down method; that leads me to believe that you are to heat it to 170 to dissolve the sugars. However there is no mention of needing to heat it first. Tried both ways and not sure I can tell a difference. This is my go-to wet brine though.
 
BuffettFan said:
Planning on a whole chicken on the rotisserie Sunday. Think I'll stick with the 1/2 strength, mixed with apple juice since I have some on hand, ~12 hour brine overnight tomorrow, then dried off and back in the fridge Sunday morning to dry the skin before it hits the coals.
Click to expand...


Can't go wrong with a rotisserie chicken. A light brush of olive oil or mayonnaise on the skin will help to really crisp it up.


JDiddy said:
I use the brine on and off again and I'm torn on the proper way to prepare it. Since there is an ice cool down method; that leads me to believe that you are to heat it to 170 to dissolve the sugars. However there is no mention of needing to heat it first. Tried both ways and not sure I can tell a difference. This is my go-to wet brine though.
Click to expand...


I've never heated the water to mix my brine, probably because of time constraints, and sometimes being lazy. I just mix, stir, and pour into the zip-lock bag. I have always had stellar results with Game Changer Brine.



However if you want to heat, I don't think the water needs to go to 170° (which is just hot tap water), just take half the water and mix the brine into it, 140° (warm tap water) should be more than sufficient, and then add ice for the rest of the water and you are ready to pour and brine.


.
 
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Well your internal of 135° is fine, and experimenting with different strengths is a good idea (I measure commercial injections or brines in grams just for this reason), and you can inject a brine to shorten the soak time. But something is wrong if you can't tell the difference between non-brined and brined chops.

A brined chop (or chicken) should noticeably moister and some products will make them slightly pinkish even at the 135° - 140° internal. Your brine time was pretty long, I'm with Bob and I'll brine thinner chops for 4 hours and 6 hours or so on 3/4 to 1 inch chops. I always brine (or inject a brine) for chicken breasts, and usually brine thighs.
 
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